Jingang Bashi 金刚八式
Name The term Bashi 八式 means "eight styles" and refers to the 8 routines or "lines", while the word Jingang 金刚 refers to the "Invincible" Adamantine/Diamond Buddha Warrior Attendants, the supernatural protectors of Buddhist temples often featured in statues outside them. History Tracing back to Shaolin NeiYuan QuanFa 少林内院拳法 ("Shaolin inner-courtyard fist"), these movements are not exclusive to Bajiquan, as Jingang Bashi is actually from shaolin. The movements were adopted by Bajiquan many years after its initial inception and are prevalent in most traditions, however, their execution does vary between different traditions as the movements have changed over time. The Shaolin Ba Shi (8 postures) was trained alongside the Shaolin Dan Shi (single postures) as a foundational set in Qing dynasty era Shaolin Quan. During the 1800s, these routines reached Hebei and began to influence several styles including Ba Fan Men, Xing Yi Quan, Bagua Zhang, and Baji Quan enough to become a part of their curriculae. Some styles teach that Shi Yushan 石玉山, future head of Tianjin's eleventh Guoshu Guan (national Martial Arts Association), was taught it by a Shaolin monk. Late, Tian Jinzhong 田金钟, a disciple of Shi's who had also studied with Wu Xiufeng (吴秀峰), implemented the movements into the Baji curriculum. Jingang Bashi can also be found in Yue Jia Duanda Chui (岳家短打捶，General Yue Fei's Close strike hammers), as it spread from Shaolin to the area in Shandong province from which Tanglang Quan was eventually developed. Due to Dong Hai Chuan having learnt Ba Fan Shan and Jingang Bashi from his elder cousin, a famous Ba Fan Shan master in Hebei, it seems there is also a connection between the Jingang Bashi and Bagua Zhang.Shaolin Jingang Bashi - influential - KungFuMagazine Forum Training The Jingang Bashi are generally trained linearly, consisting of repeating a single movement multiple times. They can be practiced using only one side of the body, or by alternating left/right. The Form Names are presented in their Chinese terms, followed by Pinyin, and finally an English Translation. If you are on the mobile page, please slide the table to the left to view the rest of it. Characteristics of each style An The An Family teaches Jingang Bashi as part of its initial Bajiquan training. The lines are practiced with opening and closing movements facing the side, and feature a distinctive turning movement at the start and finish of each line. They are used to teach practitioners fa li(发力, force generation) principles prior to learning Taolu. 降龙 Xiáng Lóng and 劈山掌 Pī Shān Zhǎng are generally taught together, out of sequence, as they use similar but opposing principles. An JianQiuAn Wushu Family Kung Fu School Facebook Page translates the name into English as: "t''he eight hardest fighting movements''", with "hardest" not referring to difficulty but to the feeling of indestructibility that is cultivated in Bajiquan. After stances, this is the first set of Bajiquan movements learned at the school. Baji Association Baji Association uses Jingang Bashi as a basic training method, alongside XiaoJia. Believing that it should be performed at a "moderate pace" with focus on structure and quality of movement, it is one of the most fundamental sets in the curriculum. Lü Baochun has been quoted to have advised training 200+ repetitions (100 for each side) of Cheng Chui, in particular, as a method of developing power. Han Huo Family Huo Family Bajiquan teaches the Jingang Bashi at the third "stage" (out of a total seven) of their practice, following learning foundational movements, XiaoJia, DanDa and Pigua Zhang taolu. KaiMen WuTan Xu References Category:Taolu Category:Jingang Bashi